Falling down the cliff or Five ways to get back up
by scasfra
Summary: When Sophie gets hurt on a job and decides not to deal with it the team members all find diferent ways to help her, and confort her. New Chapter: Nathan and Sophie deal with their demons. COMPLETE
1. Introduction

**I do not own Leverage or anything related to it.  
**

**This is a story where Sophie gets hurt on a job and the team comforts her. It will have five more chapters; in each of them we see one of the team members helping Sophie. **

Hardison burst inside the room to find the guy all over Sophie; his hands trapping her while his mouth... Where exactly was his mouth? Hardison couldn't even process the information because the pervert let go of her the moment he realized there was someone else with them; Sophie flew away.

"Damn it!" He shouted at Hardison. "I was getting lucky!" He heard Eliot growl, Parker cuss and Nate punching something over coms, but kept on character.

"Sorry sir, I am so sorry!" He said with his Ethiopian accent and left the room.

Sophie was walking down the hallway, using her hands to cover herself since her dress was wrecked; her hair was falling loose down her back.

"Are you ok?" She didn't even look at him.

"Just take me to the van, please!" he said nothing more.

The trip to the headquarters was silent, while Hardison drove everyone started at Sophie though nobody spoke. Parker seemed sad and concerned, Eliot seemed worried and pissed off, Nathan's expression was blank yet everyone knew he was perhaps, the angriest of them all...

He became sure of it when Nate pulled him abruptly by his shpulder as Sophie entered the brewery, closely followed by a very agitated Parker and dangerously calm Eliot.

"What the hell happened in there?" Hardison saw fear on the mastermind's eyes, guilt, he had seen before many times before, but actually fear; that was a first.

"I don't man, I just... I got there and he was all over her..." Nate looked down biting his lip "All over her" was too vague...

"Let's go inside..." and his voice sounded so low, coming from the back of his throat, it scared Hardison a little. They all have made the path downhill with Nathan and it was not a pretty thing.

Eliot and Parker were talking at the same time, yelling, actually while Sophie was silent, walking away with her purse in hand and her torn dressed in such away it actually covered her, well, most of her.

Nathan grabbed her by the wrist when she passed him.

"Where are you going?" he asked, Parker was curling up on the counter and Eliot had disappeared in another room, probably to get his first aid kit.

"Home".

**A/N: The chapters won't form a continuous story, it may seem confuse but it won't be; basically we always see one of the characters helping Sophie when the others don't. **

**Next chapter will be Sophie/ Hardison, I'll post when asked to.**


	2. Alec Hardison

**A chapter where Nate gets clearly pushed away, Eliot decides the smart thing to do is give her space, Parker gest distant because the problem it's too close home to be confortable to deal with and Hardison steps up.**

"Home" and she seemed so decided, her voice was so cold and distant Hardison could definitely tell she was walking away, not only from them, but from everything that had happened that night. Nathan grabbed her by the wrist, they all felt they needed to be with her and Nathan felt the most.

"Sophie..." was all that came out because he didn't have the bravery to tell anything else. Once again he never did have the guts to say his thoughts when it came to her so that was no surprise, in fact, their conversations usually took no words because she read him; tonight tough, she didn't make an effort to...

She walked out the door as Nate sank on the nearest bench covering his face with his hands, he was tired and he felt guilty. He was also very frightened. It was his job to see the big picture and he hadn't seen that coming, not in a million years and now, the damage was already done and he could do nothing to help her. He was powerless, and he hated it!

After a few moments of silence, Eliot came back with the first aid kit. He placed the kit down and let his arms fall limply along his body in defeat, if she was gone she was gone; the grifter had put walls up already and nothing could get through them at the moment. The worst thing about walls, Eliot knew, was that at the same time they kept dangerous things out, they kept the people who had lifted them as prisoners inside.

Parker had left out the window without a word, she was not good with words and a valuable lesson she had learned on her childhood was: if you got nothing nice to say, say nothing!

Hardison left the brewery with his hands on his pockets not caring the damn Portland rains was soaking him to the bones, he spent the car rid thinking what the hell had happened that damn because his brain hadn't decoded the information yet, he was quite certain it hadn't come to _that_ and, at the same time, he wasn't certain at all.

Finally, after several minutes of floor pacing at his house he decided he wasn't one to stand down and let his friends suffer alone so he grabbed a couple of DVDs and took off. On his way to Sophie's he also bought Chinese food for two and a very expensive bottle of red wine.

The brunette opened the door after five, very loud and insistent knocks, she let him in, but only after she shot him a very sharp look.

"Thought you might be hungry!" he said showing her the bag with Chinese food in it "and I brought wine and a couple of 007 movies!" she eyed him quietly, as if waiting for the storm.

He placed all of his things on the kitchen table and took a look at her; she had showered and changed into a comfy pyjama and light blue robe. Also, her wet hair was combed into a side braid that covered the left side of her neck which was strange; Hardison was pretty sure he had never seen her with braided hair before. Meanwhile she was leaning against the door still eyeing him like he was the enemy.

"Look Sophie, I know you're not used to having close friends" Her eyes squinted at that sentence; that probably hadn't been the smartest thing to say. "None of us is because we are criminals, but things are different now. We are more than a team and we got each other's backs!" She crossed her arms; Sophie could be really stubborn when she firmly stuck an idea inside her head. Hi sighed, he wasn't giving up though.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it and you seriously don't have to, all I want is for you not to be alone tonight! We can just eat and watch Mr. Bond here kick some serious amount of ass!" She finally smiled, her shoulders relaxing as he spoke.

"Which Bond is it?" Hardison smiled too, he had won against Sophie Devereaux, who'd say he could?

"Mostly Sean Connery and one or two with Roger Moore..." She headed to the cupboard.

"Go and put the DVD on, I'll put the table!"

They spent the rest of the night eating, drinking (Hardison actually liked wine, he just didn't drink much) and watching the movies. They talked a little about Sophie's and Hardison favourites and then watched some more.

By the end of the last movie Sophie was deeply asleep leaning on Hardison's shoulder, he turned of the TV and carried her to bed, laying her down. When he did it, he noticed the mark on her neck, the reason she had braided her hair that way. He wanted to go out, find the guy and punishing him for being such an obnoxious human being. Instead, he tenderly kissed Sophie on the cheek, pushed her covers up and left a note by her side.

He drove home feeling at peace.

She woke up the next morning tugged in her bed; next to her on the nightstand was a post-it that said: "If you need someone just to talk or hug you or whatever, call me!" Sophie smiled, Hardison might not be the kind of guy that could physically stand up for his friends, like Eliot did, but he did know how to take care of them and he was brilliant at it.

**I made this because I think Sophie's relationship with Hardison could me much closer then what we actually see. **

**I hope I stayed truthful to the characters and that you enjoyed what you read; please review with your opinions.**

**Who do you want to see first? Eliot or Parker?**


	3. Parker

**A chapter where Nate gets clearly pushed away, Eliot decides the smart thing to do is give her space, Hardison steps back and Parker decides she can't leave Sophie behind. **

"Home" Sophie says and that moment of silence between her and Nate is everything Parker needs to leave the building without anyone noticing her, she wonders if the others would be mad at her after they found she left. If they'll think it's some kind of betrayal for not being there for Sophie. Ultimately she concludes she doesn't care that much about what the others think, not this time. Even she noticed Sophie's sentence was a final, undeniably and indisputable besides if the grifter wants to be alone why would Parker stay to smother her.

Only a few seconds later her head starts working at quite a different gear, it's truth people like Parker and Sophie always solve their problems alone, always did, however, the reason why they did it was because they had no one they could count on, no one to have their backs; it's different now. Parker realizes if it were a situation where she was hurt she'd actually like someone to stay by her side and Sophie wouldn't let go of her, so she turns around and goes to Sophie's house. She stops at her own house first, though.

She repels from the roof and waits outside Sophie's living room window, any other day and she'd be in already snooping in the British woman's fridge; tonight's different. Parker doesn't really know if the girfter will actually like her company or send her away.

It starts raining, Parker doesn't move, Sophie arrives five minutes later.

"Parker! What are you doing outside? You're soaking wet!" and Sophie opens the window and pulls Parker in, releasing her of her harness.

"I didn't know if you'd let me in..." At first Sophie looks surprised and makes an expression Parker doesn't fully understand furrowing her brow, but slowly smiles at her.

"I'd actually rather be alone tonight darling, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you out on the pouring rain..." and her voice sounds so low, soft yet hurt like something very valuable was taken from her that Parker leans forward and hugs Sophie really tight. The older woman doesn't react at first, yet after a few seconds Parker senses her muscles relax as she embraces her back.

"Did he touched you?" and Parker immediately regrets she asked that, she wishes she knew how to stay silent sometimes.

"Yes, Parker, he did..." and Sophie's starts to walk away from the window, the blonde follows.

"Do you want him to die? Because I'm pretty sure Eliot could do it..." Sophie actually gives a small laugh at that which makes Parker nervous, she doesn't know if that's a good kind of laugh.

"I appreciate it Parker, but that's not necessary!" She says as she takes a fluffy towel from inside a wardrobe and hands it to Parker. Sophie's flat is big yet cosy and warm; she leads Parker to her bedroom and then disappears behind a door leaving Parker alone with her own thoughts and indications that she can change in any clothes she finds on her closet. Sophie takes an awful amount of time showering which astonishes Parker because she knows from experience, and too many shared hotel bedrooms, that she sometimes takes less time than Hardison and always far less time the Eliot. At first she thinks she might be taking a bubble bath, but quickly discards the idea since hears the shower running the whole time.

When Sophie comes out in a silk pyjama and light blue robe Parker has changed into yoga pants and a reddish jersey knit she found that was too fluffy on the skin for Parker not to wear it.

"That looks good on you!" Sophie compliments with another, not so real, smile as she turns to the mirror.

"What took you so long in the bathroom?" Parker asks making Sophie's eyes wide at the question. "I was getting worried!" she justifies as Sophie uses a towel to dry her hair.

"I was just getting clean, Parker... Just getting clean..." and Sophie's tone is so heavy Parker can feel the atmosphere changing.

Parker notices the odd behaviour when Sophie starts combing her hair on a left side braid, Sophie doesn't usually braids. After a few minutes of watching Sophie fighting with her hair, Parker notices the red blemish on her neck. That, Parker knows, it's a hickey.

"Why are you covering that? You don't need to hide it from me!" Parker states causing Sophie to sigh and turn around.

"I am not hiding it from you Parker, I am hiding it from me." She says on the calmest voice she can manage, Parker frowns thinking hiding things from one self might not be the best strategy to deal with it.

"Let me do it than!" and she starts working on Sophie's hair with quick, efficient hands. It's only after she stops she makes the question everyone at the brewery was afraid to ask.

"Did he... De he did _it_ to you?" Sophie shakes her head.

"No, darling, Hardison got there just in time..." and Parker feels shivers down her spine at the words _Just in time_. "Come on, let's make you some dinner!" Sophie says with a tilt of her head.

"I didn't know you could cook."

"I am no Eliot, but I can find my way around a kitchen!"

Sophie prepares the pasta and the sauces, tells what wine is the best to accompany their food and lights up some aromatic candles. Parker sets the table, but for most of the time she just sits at the kitchen table and watches as Sophie works. It feels familiar; something she knows she could do every day and not get tired of. Sophie is almost done when Parker remembers something and practically jumps out her chair, leaves the room and comes back a few minutes later with a stuffed Bunny on her arms.

"This is Mr. Bunny" she declares with a very ceremonious tone. Sophie smiles and waves at the Bunny.

"Hi there, Mr. Bunny, I am Sophie Devereaux, but you can call me Sophie!" her tone is almost cheerful and Parker likes it, she likes that the grifter immediately treats Mr. Bunny with such respect because now he likes her and she really needed them to get along with each other.

"I was thinking... I know what it's like to be strong." She pauses for a bit as Sophie turns the stove off. "How hard it can be, to be strong, especially if you are alone..." Sophie raises an eyebrow at her, but says nothing as she fixes Parker her plate of pasta. "And Mr. Bunny really helped me with that over the years and I thought he could stay with you for a night or two so you can be weak..."

"So I can be weak?" Her words aren't mocking, or condescending, she actually says it as if she were tasting them, trying them for the very first time like they were from a new dialect she was learning.

"Yeah, you can be weak for a while and Mr. Bunny here will be strong for you!" And when Sophie smiles this time, it actually reaches her eyes.

"Thank you Parker, that is very kind of you!"

The rest of the night goes lightly with Bunny's subtle presence in between as the women speak about art theft and actually confess some crimes to each other; the inconvenient matter of almost rape is forgotten as they share art theft plans, opinions and laughs.

By three am Parker is asleep on Sophie's couch, the brunettes covers her with a blanket and takes Bunny with her, being careful not to hurt the girl's feelings.

However, later in the night, not being able to sleep Sophie remembers what Parker said about Being "weak" and reflects on her biggest fear; that the team, particularly Nate, would change their posture towards her treating her as helpless victim. Parker just proved her wronged and as Sophie finals unleashes out all of her feelings for that hideous night she hugs Mr. Bunny tighter and tighter pulling it closer to her body.

She wakes in the morning with the stuffed animal still on her arms.

Parker is gone, there is hot coffee and a chocolate muffin on the counter, from the store down the street, on the bag the words "bought, not stolen" are written.

Sophie feels grateful she did not send Parker away the night before.

**This was a little longer, I hope you liked it. Next chapter will be Eliot's.**

**Please review.**


	4. Eliot Spencer

**Here it is; Eliot's chapter, I hope you will enjoy since Eliot's approach to the problem is much more direct then Parker's and Hardison's.**

"Home" and he immediately knew that was a "keep away" sign, no one was getting near her tonight, not even Nate, hell, especially not Nate.

She wanted to be alone, but he'd be dammed if he was going to let her be alone. He walked past Nate, towards her.

"Let's go, hon', ya need some rest." She tilted her head at him, Nate's hand curled into a fist, she was just three steps away yet, she could be in freakin' China and it wouldn't make a difference... "Ya still shaking, I'ma just drive ya home!" He insisted upon the look on her face, Sophie sighed and growled on a way that was particularly his and left the brewery. Parker was gone, Nate was furious with at least four different things and Hardison was in shock.

They were both sitting on his car. Eliot had just turned the engine on and was leaving the parking lot when she heard him say.

"D'ya need me to drive you to a Hospital?" She frowned at those words and kept staring out the window as she asked him why would she need a Hospital. "Blood tests, the morning after pill, a rape kit..." She practically jumped in her place at those words and turned to look at him.

"Eliot, I do not need a Hospital! I was not raped!" he felt he could breathe freely again.

"I don't know what happened in there hon'..."

"So you assume the worst scenario happened?" Her voice was higher than usual. She seemed slightly upset at his assumption.

"Yeah! I do!" He barked; the car stopped at a red light. He sighed when he realized he might have been too harsh with those words.

"It's my job to protect you Soph, when something like this happens it means I failed. I assume the worst so I can be prepared to deal with the damage that comes after." The light turned green, the car started moving again.

"It wasn't your fault Eliot, it was mine..." she said after several minutes of silence, eyes searching beyond the window again.

"How could that be your fault?"

"I read people for a living!" She sounded angry. "Selfish Rapists, Eliot, rape women to feel they have the upper hand; that they are in control. It's about making a point, it's about feeling powered. Had I chosen another character, a more submissive one and that wouldn't have happened..."

Eliot parked the car in front of her house.

"Selfish rapists?" He frowned at those words.

"It's a term that helps building a rapist profile Eliot..."

"Yeah, hon', I know. I am just starting to think you know too much about this stuff..."

"Don't... Don't look at me like that! I was never raped; I just picked up some stuff here and there so I could identify possible dangers easier..." Once again he felt he could breathe freely. "And today I was sloppy so I got punished..."

"Don't say that! Jeez, Sophie!" They both paused for a moment; her eyes drifting away into her lap. "Listen, why don't you go up, take a bath, while I go to the mini-market down the street and buy us something I can cook..." She hesitated for a moment, but left the car and headed home.

Eliot bought some perch that he roasted in the oven along with some nice vegetables. He also opened a bottle of white wine they could drink with their meal, Sophie came downstairs the moment he finished placing the dishes.

"Fillin' any better?" She simply nodded and he pretended not to have noticed she was wearing a braid to hide the left side of her neck.

They ate in silence for a while until Eliot started making small talk, telling her how de marriage between that wine and the fish he had cooked was perfect. She stopped eating to look at him, her eyebrow raised as her thoughts started to form.

"Eliot, why are you doing this?" She asked faintly. "Why did you stay when I told you I wanted to be alone? Why are you here talking to me when that's the last thing I wanted to do?"

"Because I hate silence, Sophie!" He couldn't have been more honest.

Some people were afraid of the dark, some people were afraid of closed spaces like Hardison and some people were afraid to die; Eliot was afraid of silence. The team knew he only slept ninety minutes a day, what they didn't know was he did it with the TV on.

Silence meant he was alone, and most of the time it meant that was his surrounding was nothing but death. People always thought Eliot had to live with the screaming of his victims inside his head, however, what cost him the most was to live with the silence. His entire life, silence only meant two things: One, the screaming had stopped and his victims were finally dead; there was no coming back from that. And two, he was undoubtedly too late and the people he was supposed to save weren't breathing anymore.

"Why do you hate it some much?" Sophie asked, a glimpse of curiosity dancing in her eyes.

Eliot was once prisoner by a rebel organisation in Africa, a fifteen-year old girl was kept captive on the room next to his, walls were paper thin and he could hear everything they did to her every day. She screamed, she always screamed so Eliot screamed too, just so she'd know she wasn't completely alone. Of course, screaming did nothing for her and the men that kept her always got their way with her, yet she screamed and she fought and fought until one day Eliot didn't hear her scream. The girl was still there, he knew, and the rebels were still taking her body, he knew; she just wasn't screaming anymore. She had given up, stopped fighting...

That's what he told Sophie that night.

"Did she... Did she live?" He sipped his tumbler.

"We were all rescued two months, three weeks and five days after I got there, she lived, but I can assure you the person who walked out that door was not the girl that walked in..."

"I didn't walk into one of those doors, Eliot!" and when he looked at her she seemed different, defiant, like a worrier ready to go to battle. "I am a bit shaken with what happened today; I wanted some time to put my thoughts in order and didn't want you all to see me this fragile so you wouldn't worry, but that is all. I didn't stop fighting, Eliot!" and she gave him a reassuring smile.

Conversation slipped out of their tongues easily after that, she told him where she had gotten that wine, he told her how he had learnt to cook fish like that, they shared some stories, they laughed a little bit and by the time the table was clean and the dishes were done the shadows he had seen hovering over Sophie a few hours earlier were gone.

She sent him home, but called him in the middle of the night "just to talk", he turned the TV off and stayed on the phone with her until the morning hours, he felt relieved she had called him. They weren't falling into the silence...

**So, what do you think? Next chapter will be Nathan's reaction. What do you think he'll do?**


	5. Nathan Ford

**I'm so sorry it took me so long to update but I moved to Madrid to study and things the dust only settled now. **

**This was supposed to be smaller, like the others, but it grew and grew and grew and it turned into a monster that I cannot control. I was going to cut in chapters to make it easier to read but it made no sense so I am truly sorry… **

**Despite that, I really like this chapter and if you make it to the end I believe you will like it too. Thank you for your support!**

"Home" and her voice was so distant he knew she was putting wall up, creating a distance between her and the rest of team. There was something else only him could hear though, a hint of something that was beyond her grifting skills, something that was buried so deep inside her no one, not even Eliot, could spot. Fear, an intense fear of something that trespassed through her voice, revealing itself as a discrete, almost uncatchable, trembling.

And then, there was the look on her face. Her entire posture, from her stance to her shoulders and neck, was distant, keeping them away, but her eyes; her eyes were soft and sad and, as her lips were forming a thin line, giving nothing away, her eyes were asking for help.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the door.

"Let's go then" he said on the softest, most relaxed tone he could manage. She eyed him sideways saying nothing.

They rode in silence as the rain started to pour blurring the light that came from the street lamps, morphing its shine into splatters of orange that multiplied upon the drops of water on the car window. It was funny, she thought, because that's how her mind felt at that moment, nothing but a dazzle of blurry things.

She wanted to keep him away, away from her, away from the situation so he'd not break, dragging her along with him. Yes, she knew, shutting him down was not the best the thing to yet, it was the only thing she could do, the same way a hurt animal hides away to lick its wounds so would she...

"Why don't you go take a bath and I fix us a hot plate?" His voice came from the distance and it seemed foggy to her, she knew him better than anyone else, no matter how much he tried to remain cool and calm she knew he was a pan of boiling water, blaming himself for what happened that night. His feelings of guilt, she thought, were slowly killing him. She nodded, knowing to well he'd freak if she didn't let him help her, it would tor him apart. Any other day she would have adorned it with a reassuring smile, that night though, she was too tired so she left the car and walked away instead.

Nate knew Sophie' kitchen very well, better than his own maybe so he quickly found the cabinet where she kept the pans and a package of spaghetti; he took some chicken stroganoff and defrosted it in hot water due to the short window of time they had. He cooked the chicken with cooking cream and mushrooms and boiled the spaghetti. He set the table. Sophie still wasn't there.

He opened a bottle of an expensive red wine she had and poured some into a tumbler, he grabbed it and made his way inside her room. The bathroom door was locked so he knocked calling her name.

"Just a minute!" He heard some rustling, then she came out wrapped on bathrobe with the hood on; he frowned at that.

"Why are you wearing a bathrobe?" He placed the tumbler on her powder table and took his coat and tie of, he felt like the air was closing around him.

"Because I am!" She spat back warning him she wouldn't give anything else away. "Now get out, so I can get dressed." He frowned again; that was a first. Usually things between them were something similar to "Come in and I will get undressed!". He still left, taking the tumbler of wine with him.

Sophie entered the living room a few minutes later on her silk pyjama a light blue robe, her hair locked on a braid that made him suspicious. First, the bathrobe, instead of a towel, now that; she was definitely hiding something.

He said nothing; he had learned a long time ago asking Sophie questions took him nowhere but dead ends and more questions.

He pulled her chair for her to seat like the gentleman he was and served her food. Sophie wrinkled her nose on a way that explicitly said she had no appetite, after that her face changed to something he also knew very well: resignation; she knew she had to eat so she was going to. That was good...

She played with her food for a while and he watched her carefully as he too, took small bites of chicken and spaghetti. She made a small guttural noise upon the first bite, his eyes got softer.

"Is it good?" He asked and sipped his tumbler of wine, even though Nate was more a whiskey kind of guy he had to recognize, Sophie had a finger to pick wine.

She ended chewing her bit and licked her lips after nodding at him, she dropped the silverware on her plate and took his hands in hers.

"Nate, listen, I appreciate what you are doing, I really do..."

"But?" Nate cut out scrutinizing her.

"But I really need to be alone tonight..." He took his hands from hers, rolling his eyes. It was involuntary, he never meant to show he was upset, however, he did and of course, she caught that.

"Don't take me wrong..." He made an effort to smile.

"It's okay. I got that, I do. I just didn't want you to push me away..."

"I am not pushing you away..." She was so much better at lying then telling the truth yet at that moment, she couldn't lie to save her life. He didn't tell her that; instead he too lied to her; once again, it was easier than speaking his mind.

"I know, darling. Let's just enjoy our dinner, okay?" She smiled shyly at him and they kept eating in silence, she didn't feel like talking and he was forming an unnumbered quantity of plans to stay.

The opportunity came when she insisted to clean the table; he moved to the living room and turned her stereo on, putting a very particular CD inside. The moment the music started playing her head picked from the door.

"Remember this?" He asked before she could say something.

"Our run in Moscow... How could I forget?" She stated entering the living room, this time, he was the one taking her hands in his.

"Care to dance?" She shook her head slightly.

"Nate..."

"Oh come on" He said, pulling her hands to round his waist. "One dance won't hurt. Or don't you remember the steps?" She huffed and rolled her eyes but still leaned against him, letting him lead her through the floor, like they had done so many years ago in Moscow.

"Just one dance!" She affirmed as her head rested against shoulder. He gave a small laugh.

"Of course, Miss Devereaux; you wouldn't have it any other way..."

Thankfully, that was a long waltz and he felt her muscles relax against him. He smiled thinking his plane was working, of course, the smile died on his face burning to ashes the moment she said "You know, I still want to spend the night alone, right?"

"Herm... Of course..." He half growled, feeling like he had been kicked on the nuts.

When the music finished she pulled away slowly staring at him for a few moments without knowing what to say, all she knew was, even though his presence felt good and right and made it easy, she needed to push him away.

"I left my coat and tie on your room." He said adding that he would get it and following her into the room before she could argue.

Sophie kept her distance as he grabbed his coat and tie, her arms crossed in front of her body. He was about to walk out the door when he stopped on his feet and turned back, dropping his coat and tie on the chair in front of her powder table.

"I am sorry, Sophie, I can't do this!" she arched an eyebrow at him.

"You can't do what?" There was an accusation her tone as she walked towards him, he knew it. She was ready to start a fight, they were both like that, it was easier to fight, to push and pull until it bled then to speak your hearth and any other day he'd be in for it, no that night, not when she was the price to pay for.

"This! This insanity!" He spat and he saw the glare on her eyes, if he gave her enough full she'd start a fire so instead, he softened his eyes and forced his lips into a smile placing his hands on her shoulders.

She felt her tense underneath his fingers and he knew he had to rescue her from whatever dark place she was in.

"You know you don't need to hide from me..." He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"I am not hiding for you!" Her voice was still harsh, but she didn't back away from him, she was smart enough to realize he wasn't going to let her fight her way out.

"Yes, you are." He said firmly yet friendly, then he took his hand to caress her hair and he felt her tense even more. His fingers quickly went to her braid and her lips closed into a thin line.

He took the band from her hair with a soft pull and watched her swallow as he untangled her braid and tugged a dark wave of hair away from her neck. He saw it; the hickey he hadn't given her.

She watched as his face went totally blank, too bad she knew that was him biting back the anger and that was what frightened her the most; his acknowledge that she, in fact, had been touched might taint their relationship forever because he wouldn't be able to let go, buried in his guilt too deep carry on.

He finally unlocked his eyes from the dreadful hickey and looked at her, there was shame; what stood out though, was fear. Was she scared of him? Of what he might to do after he saw that? Or maybe she thought he wouldn't want her after that... That thought alone hurt like a stab to the hearth.

He whispered her name quietly as his thumb cleaned away the single tear running through her cheek. She met blue eyes filled with pure love; there was no more anger, only devotion. She allowed her mouth to curl into a soft smile.

He pulled closer, his left arm embracing her by the waist as he traced the hickey with his right hand.

"Nate..." He smiled again.

"It's okay darling, it's okay!" and he leaned closer breathing the last few words into her neck. He felt her get tense again as his lips brushed the soft skin on her neck.

"Nate, what are you doing?" He didn't answer, instead, he kissed her neck on the very particular place her hickey was and he kept kissing until she relaxed completely. When she did he moved from the hickey and started kissing the rest of her neck, the curve were neck turns into shoulder, the spot right under her ear and the places where her neck met her jaw line. He smiled against her skin when she softly moaned after he grasped his teeth on a spot he knew it made her melt. After that he kissed her jaw line, the corner of her lips and finally her mouth on a tender kiss that she responded to.

He pulled away, not opening the space between them though, and took another look at her eyes, they were still sad yet they were glowing with happiness too.

He kissed her cheek as her hands came to rest on his chest.

"Where else?" He whispered into her ear not wanting her to retract again; his arm still rounding her waist. She tensed up a little bit again yet she didn't pull away.

"Left shoulder." She stated simply and he pulled away to undo the knot on her robe stripping her from it. He undid only the necessary amount of buttons on her shirt to bare her shoulder

"That bastard!" was the first thing coming out of his lips causing Sophie to shiver and retract ever so slightly. "It's okay..." he said, his voice low again, as if he were talking to a small child. He didn't know what it was that was okay because it wasn't. The entire situation was wrong yet he knew it was going to be okay; he wouldn't let it be any other way. "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore... Not physically!" she said simply as he stared at the bite mark.

He traced every tooth mark with his fingers, so softly it caused her shivers, then he leaned down and kissed the wound. He did same he had done on her neck, kissing the mark until she relaxed completely and then started to kiss the rest of her shoulder just because he liked it; after that, he made his way up to her neck again, moved to her jaw line and finally captured her lips on a passionate kiss. He stepped away the minute her hands start pushing against his chest.

"Nate... I can't... not tonight..." he smiled tenderly at her just because the mere sight of her made him happy.

"'Course not, darling. That didn't even cross my mind." And he kissed her on the temple as she hugged him by waist. They stood in silent for a while, standing between the chair and her powder table until he broke the silence.

"Anywhere else?" he asked into her hair as her body pressed against his.

"Ribcage, a small bruise on the right side." She said and kept holding him not wanting to move from his safe hug. Everyone knew Nate couldn't protect himself from himself; what people didn't know was his arms could be the safest place in the world when he wasn't being a self-destructive ass.

Nathan kneeled sat on the chair and frowned as he saw the bruise and looked at her on a way that purely said "this is not small".

The bruise was purple coloured, right below her right breast revealing the place where that son of a bitch had hit her or perhaps pushed her against something, Nathan did not know.

One of his hands rested on her left hip as hers were on his shoulders, squeezing slightly, giving her a small illusion of control she knew she had anyway, he wouldn't touch her if she didn't want him to.

She hissed when his fingers hovered over the bruise so he recoiled his hands and kissed the bruised skin so softly she barely felt it.

"My back." She said without him asking. He smiled at her, as she turned around, and slowly get up to pull the pyjama from her shoulders.

Sophie felt his fingers tracing every single scrap the mark had made on her back while trying to gold her still, then she felt his warm lips kissing those same scratches and just like that she felt like he was erasing everything she had been through that night. Her biggest fear was Nate wouldn't be able to see her or touch her the way he did before because he'd feel to guilty, to know the guilt wasn't getting in his way this time was the biggest relief she could get.

He embraced her by the waist kissing her on the neck and resting his chin on her right shoulder after. Sophie leaned against his body and sighed as she covered his hands with hers.

"There's something else..." She started, her voice trembling a little again, she didn't know if she should tell him that. Nate said nothing; instead he kissed her on the cheek as if telling her they'd go through everything and anything.

"He trapped me in that room against the bookshelf so I couldn't move, one of his hands was pinning mine above my head and he kept his knee between my legs as he started touching me..." Nathan cut her out by turning her around so they'd be face to face, his hands grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Sophie, did he..." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence so he just stared at her with pleading eyes, hoping she wouldn't lie to him about this or maybe, hoping she did. The mastermind couldn't quite decide which of them was the worst.

"No, Hardison got there in time... He only got to..."

"He only got to what?" His voice was higher again and he saw it as thousands of different emotions crossed her mind. "You can tell me..." He said lowering his tone to inspire her trust in his words.

"My breasts..." and her voice was so low, so ashamed he didn't have the strength to feel angry it was like his heart was melting at his feet along with Sophie's tears. He started cleaning her tears with his caring fingers, trying his best to smile.

"Hey, hey, no crying, lady... It won't happen again." She started to sob so he took her face between his hands as he said. "Do you hear me? It won't happen again; I promise!" She nodded, as she cleaned away her own tears and he kissed her on the forehead pulling her to a tight hug.

When he pulled away he kept his hand behind her back, with the intention of clasping her bra.

"Can I?" She smiled, bit her lip and kissed him on the cheek giving permission.

The bra fell to the flour with a soft sound as Nate took the image of Sophie in, she was so beautiful and to think someone almost tainted her beauty with his evil actions... He pulled her into a kiss as his hands caressed her breasts making Sophie moan into his mouth, he smiled and lowered himself kissing her breasts gently with nothing but respect, her hands tangled in his hair…

Sophie woke up in the middle of the night, extending one arm to find out the space next to her was empty, she rubbed her eyes as she tried to make sense of the last few hours of her night, maybe Nate had left thinking that was what she wanted; that felt strange though, she was sure he had gone to bed with her, yes, she was pretty sure she had fallen asleep with one of his arms around her waist and one of his hands stroking her hair. She got up and dressed the same light blue robe Nate had stripped her from a few hours ago.

He was in her house indeed, sitting on a chair with a tumbler of wine in his hand, staring out the window.

She stroked his neck with her hand and presented him with a smile when he turned around.

"Hey..."

"Hey... I thought you were asleep..." She contoured the chair facing the window.

"I was, then I woke up and you weren't there!" Her tone was accusing yet playful and he loved the hint of joy in her voice.

Nathan pulled the grifter by the waist and she curled in his lap, her face on the curve of his neck as he rested his hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I was thinking about our con, on a way to destroy this man..." She lifted her head to face him.

"We are already destroying him, we are sending him to jail for the rest of his life!" He kissed her on the tip of her nose.

"That is not enough, not anymore... This is personal now..."

"But we are still running the con, right? Those people need their dignity back!"

"Yeah, we just need to go around you and..."

"No! Nate, I need to be in this con..." He kissed her forehead, pulling her more to him, his hand rubbing her arm.

"I can do the grift this time, darling..." She sighed loudly in the disagreement, her head resting on the curve of his neck again.

"No, Nate, I _need_ to be in this con!" He tilted his head to stare at her. "I don't want to, yet I need to, I need him to know he doesn't have any power over me, I need him not to have that power or otherwise he'll win..."

"And we can't afford to let him win." Nate completed and kissed her lips. "Okay, darling, you are in." she smiled openly and kissed him with passion and desire, her hands locking on the back of his neck.

He placed his arm under her knees and lifted her, walking to her room as Sophie kissed his neck.

They woke up the next morning naked, in each other's arms and completely at peace with each other, they now knew, they could survive anything together…

**So, did you like it or am I really crappy at writing long chapters? Let me know so I can improve!**

**Also, did you like the story as a whole, what chapter was your favourite and why? I ask too many questions…**


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